Isla Pelícano

Isla Pelícano earned a very specific kind of fame: it is one of the filming locations used for Netflix’s Money Heist (La Casa de Papel), and some travellers plan an entire San Blas trip around standing on it. Take the show away and it is still a striking island — set well out toward the Cayos Holandeses, with clearer water and far fewer boats than the cays near Carti.

The name it had first

Before it was a filming location it was Gorgidub, its Guna name, and that is what it is called by the people whose territory it sits in. Worth knowing if you ask a guide about it: “the Money Heist island” gets you a smile, “Gorgidub” gets you a conversation.

Why so few boats reach it

Distance. Pelícano sits in the Cayos Holandeses sector, further from the mainland embarkation point than the islands a standard day tour can comfortably fit in. Boat time is the scarce resource on a San Blas day, and spending it on this crossing means giving up stops elsewhere — which is exactly why the water here is clearer and the beach emptier.

Getting there: the private tour

Isla Pelícano belongs to the Super VIP Private itinerary rather than the shared day tours. That tour gives your group a private 4x4 and a private boat, with an itinerary you help decide within what the weather and the timing allow, so an island this far out becomes a reasonable ask rather than an impossible one. Lunch with a drink, life jackets and a dedicated Guna guide are included; the comarca entry tax is paid separately, in cash.

What is actually on the island

Very little, which is the point. This is a scenic and snorkeling stop, not an island with infrastructure — no cabins, no shop, no facilities. There is nothing built here around the series either: what you are looking at is the island itself, the same one that appeared on screen, and nothing has been added for visitors since.

Good to know

• Best for: fans of the series, photographers, and anyone on a private itinerary with real boat time built into the day.
• Facilities: minimal — bring water, biodegradable sunscreen and anything else you will want.
• Snorkeling: the water out here is noticeably clearer than around the islands closer to Carti, and it sees a fraction of the traffic.

Frequently asked questions

Is this really the island from Money Heist?

Yes — Isla Pelícano is one of the San Blas filming locations used for Netflix’s Money Heist (La Casa de Papel). What you will find is the island as it is: there is no set, no exhibit and no infrastructure built around the show, just the beach and the water that appeared on screen.

What is the island’s Guna name?

Gorgidub. San Blas is Guna Yala, an autonomous comarca, and many islands carry a Guna name alongside the Spanish one that shows up on tour listings. Using it is a small courtesy that tends to be noticed.

Which tour reaches Isla Pelícano?

The Super VIP Private day tour. Because the island sits far out toward the Cayos Holandeses, it does not fit the fixed route of a shared budget day trip; a private boat with a flexible itinerary is what makes it reachable within a single day.

How is Isla Pelícano priced compared with a shared tour?

The Super VIP Private tour is priced per group rather than per person, so the rate does not change between a couple and a full group up to the maximum size. For a larger group the per-person arithmetic often lands closer to a shared tour than people expect — worth comparing before assuming it is out of reach.

How does Isla Pelícano relate to the Cayos Holandeses?

It sits in the same sector, out beyond the busier cays. The difference is what each is for: Cayos Holandeses is a reef, visited on its own early-departure tour for the quality of the coral, while Pelícano is an island — a beach, a photograph and clear water, on a private itinerary you help shape.

See which day tours stop at this islandOpens on our sister site · sanblasfull.com